10 days after the signature of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative on Power Transfer in Yemen and while deadly attacks on demonstrators and human rights violations continue on the ground, the Yemeni delegation accompanied by FIDH strongly denounce the immunity clause of the GCC agreement and urged the EU to :
– support the setting up of a comprehensive, independent and impartial international investigation into alleged human rights abuses and violations
– freeze the assets Abdullah Saleh’s as well as that of his entourage
“The guarantees of impunity given to Ali Abdallah Saleh to leave power are unacceptable”, said Tawakkol Karman to Catherine Ashton and to the 27 Political and Security ambassadors, quoting the UNSC resolution 2014 : “All those responsible for violence, human rights violations and abuses should be held accountable.”
Both highlighted the fact that the GCC initiative has not been accepted by the people of Yemen and the demonstrators, who have heavily suffered from the repression since the beginning of the protest movement and are still targeted by the regime. “People in the streets do not accept the initiative as it stands, especially when they see that dozens of people were killed in Taiz and other cities after the 23rd of Novembre”, warned Ezzedine El Asbahi.
The need for setting up of a comprehensive, independent and impartial international investigation into alleged human rights abuses and violations has been voiced by the UN Human Rights Council resolution of October 14th and by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The president of the European parliament, Jerzy Buzek, also backed up this recommendation after meeting with FIDH’s delegation: “neither transition nor reconciliation can be achieved without justice.The crimes and massive human rights violations of the recent months, which are still going on today, require a proper, independent investigation ».